Vietnam Moving Wall coming to Taylor Mill

The Moving Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be at Pride Park in Taylor Mill starting July 28.

Mary Ann Fedders of Florence came to see the Vietnam Moving Wall when it was in Florence a few years ago because a brother of a friend, Michael Bach of Cincinnati, had died in the war. Fedders said she came for “closure for me after all these years.” The Moving Wall will be in Taylor Mill starting July 28.(Photo: File photo)

“It is a wonderful way to honor those who have and those who continue to serve our military interest both at home and overseas, as well as, bring military men and women and their families, friends, and neighbors together to demonstrate our overwhelming respect for those who serve and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice during that service. We anticipate this event will be a powerful and moving experience for everyone in our region who has the opportunity to be part of its visit to the Taylor Mill community,” Bailey said.

The Moving Wall, according to www.movingwall.org, has been touring the country for more than 30 years. It all started in 1982, when John Devitt attended the dedication in Washington. He felt “a positive power of The Wall.” Devitt vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to visit Washington.

John, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver and other Vietnam veteran volunteers built The Moving Wall. It went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas, in October 1984.

Two structures of The Moving Wall now travel the U.S. from April through November, spending about a week at each site. This is the first time the memorial has visited Taylor Mill.

According to Bailey, the city submitted a proposal to be considered for the project and were “fortunate” enough to be selected.

“We think Taylor Mill and Northern Kentucky is such a dynamic location to be in and has so many exciting things going on we could speculate on why they chose us as a host application but outside of being selected the group and committee doing so did not expound upon the specifics of their decision but our location clearly met the criteria established for such a momentous event,” Bailey said.